1/31/2008

BackgroundI began music in general from 5 (when I started to play the violin),DJing from 14, making electronic music from 16. You can find me under Tim Exile, formerly just Exile. You can find my 2 albums on Planet Mu records and lots of singles on various drum n bass labels such as Moving Shadow, Beta Recordings, Frequency, Renegade Hardware etc etc. I also did an EP on Mosquito records, Cristian Vogel's label. You can also check out one of my live improvised shows. Head to youtube and search for Time Exile for some examples.

Favorite Hardware?Probably my live laptop... it's lasted for 4 years, is still going strong, and bang for buck it's probably been the most versatile over the years.

Favorite SoftwareI'm currently enjoying Pro Tools again after a dark period from 6.0 to 7.0 where it really wasn't great. I know it back to front and it's now very stable and simple. I like the degree of accuracy you can achieve with it.

Does your physical space and environment affect your music?Hugely. I moved to Berlin so I could afford to have a separate space for my studio without having to make too many compromises. Having a room which is just for making music makes a huge difference to my output. I'm in an apartment block though, which sometimes hinders my sense of immersion as I know other people can hear my experiments and bad vocal takes! I also get bad back pain & RSI due to spending too much time hunched over a computer editing at the speed of light when I was younger. I now have to be very careful that everything is set up in an ergonomic way

First piece of hardwareA Sequential Circuits Pro One

WishlistA Faster Computer (as always).A high-end mic preamp.A high-end mic.A false room for sound isolation.Bass Traps.A really good software solution for making all sorts of controller and HID devices talk to all sorts of software. A really good universal non-windows USB MIDI driver. A new version of Pro Tools with more audio tracks and freezing function. A new version of Reaktor with better usability . Protools TDM would be nice but it's a way away I think.

How many different setup have you had?I'm now on my 11th setup! I've never counted before. That's a hell of a lot isn't it! Due to moving regularly my studio has actually shrunk over time. I still find it difficult to actually part with things I've owned but over the years I've sold all my hardware. My studio is now a museum of MIDI controllers, a couple of laptops and a desktop.Tim Exile was born in Cheltenham, UK and ended up in Berlin for musicalreasons. His new album will be released within the new few months.

1/28/2008

As promised, our NAMM coverage is not going to be about the latest gear that is out or photos of every product on the floor. Rather, we thought we would find some very interesting people and talk to them about who they are as a person and what drives them to do what they do. I present a candid interview with Dieter Doepfer......

1/26/2008

If anyone has any tips on EVP recording, please send them to the e-mail the right. I'm going to a questionable place tomorrow evening and would like some insight if anyone has some. I'll be back in Chicago on wednesday. Sacrificing hoodie weather for a place where your snot freezes inside your nose isn't something I'm looking forward to. To the poor saps up there, don't get used to me cause I'm going to Orlando for a few weeks. As for Tobias, normally I ask the artists to send me as many pictures as they wish and I reduce them to 3 with some exceptions. This is one of them.

Tobias Freund

BackgroundI was born close to frankfurt, and lived in frankfurt till 2003. i moved to berlin 5 years ago. I felt like changing things. I have several projects: „Sieg ueber die sonne“ together with Dandy Jack (Martin Schopf), „Atom™ & Pink Elln“ works of improvised live performances with Atom Heart (Ewe Schmidt), „Nsi. non standard institute“ with max loderbauer, former part of „Sun Electric“ and my solo project „Pink Elln, the electronic dream plant“. „Tobias.“ is my latest solo work focusing on dance music.

How long have you been involved with sound?I bought my first synthesizer ( Korg MS-20 ) in August 1980. Since then, I am doing recordings and experiments. In 1983 I bought the Roland TR-808 rhythm machine. several effect units, sequencers and other little drum machines came along. All mixed together in an 8 channel mixer from Boss. Over the years the setup changed.

What is your current favorite piece of hardware?My favorite machine is still the Roland TR-808, but actually it is the combination with my analog effect rack, my Akai S 3200 sampler and the Pearl syncussions. This combination is full of surprises.

What is your current favorite software or plugin? I avoid to use plugins. The only virtual instruments I sometimes use is the ES-1 in Logic and Battery. In my setup Logic 6 is more or less an extended “tapemachine”.

Workspace and EnvironmentIt is very important for me to have a “good looking” studio, I need windows to be connected with the outside. It has to be kind of ergonomic.

Are you involved in any music/sound work outside of your own projects? The only project of this sort T was involved in was a cooperation with the Berliner Staatsballett. My nsi. Partner Max and I were involved in a project called ‘shut up and dacne’ where techno or house producers would create or compose music for ballet. The whole thing was performed by the Berliner Staatsballett at the Berghain, a night club in Berlin. More information: www.ostgut.de/ton/

What is on your current 'wish list'?I am looking for some old analog effect units, on my wish list is the AMS Harmonizer and the AMS Reverb.

Do you have a mobile studio setup? No I don’t, but i was thinking about purchasing a digital mobile recorder with a sensible stereo microphone.

Do you have a setup for live performances? I use a Mac book with Ableton, an Akai MPD 16 pad controller and a Yamaha DX 200 for my live shows. Sometimes I take my TR-808 with me, but only for special occasions because it is too sensitive for club use.

How many physical locations have you had your studio setup?I had a lot of different locations for my studio. Basically the setup didn’t change too much, except the change from an analog mixer ( Tascam M 3500 ) to a digital one ( Roland V 7200 ).

1/23/2008

We'll be a little slow on the NAMM stuff but, for now, you can check out some photos of our weekend some friends took: here and here and here and here. I'm still in L.A. soon to head up to San Francisco while Justin flew home today. I am entirely grateful for all the company I've had here but I won't name any names, no I won't play favorites. People like Mike Brown, Shawn Cleary, James Cigler, Scott Jaeger, Dieter Doepfer, Martijn Zwartjes, Jonathan Leonard, and Nik Reiman know they are already special. My most amazing friends Justin, Leah, Scott McGrath, Toe Knee (Papa Bear), Roche, Ash, Devine, Flashbenn, Baseck, Marianne, TrillPaul (Grandpa Bear), Linsley (Mama Bear), Willia, Captain Jon Ahab, Violence, Geoff, Sonya, Moe, Dirty and Memo don't need reassurance of our friendship on some blog. Since they don't need to know, you can head over and read about Rena Jones.

Rena Jones

BackgroundI began piano lessons when I was 5, violin in the third grade, cello when I was 16 and began composing on a 4 track when I was 14. It wasn't until I was about 20 that I had my own DAW but I interned at a recoding studio in Austin, TX and have been using Pro Tools since 1995. I never really felt there was a name that would truly represent myself as an artist so I just compose under my real name. Sometimes I feel like that works against me as most people associate a women's name with a singer and not an electronic producer but I still prefer to use my real name. I was born in Fargo, ND of all places, moved to Fort Worth/Arlington Texas when I was 1yrs old, then to Austin for 5 yrs, San Francisco for 7 yrs and now reside in Portland, OR. I really enjoy Portland because it is an extremely nature oriented city, the people are lovely, there's a good and diverse music scene and it's a great place to call home. I tend to be on the road a lot these days so living in a slower paced cheaper city is ideal.

Favorite HardwareThat's a tough one. I like different pieces of hardware for different purposes. Currently I have been into FM synthesis. I have a Yamaha FB-01 and a Yamaha DX7. I really enjoy the FM synthesis for their super rich tone and use them more for sourcing than for final composition. The FB-01 is really nice for bass tones and I love running them through an Electro Harmonix Micro Synth, Tube Distortion and random pedals. The nice thing about FM synthesis is you can get really unique sounds if you spend the time to program them. In general, I really love sourcing from real instruments to obtain a rich analog tone and tend to build all my tones and sound banks from real instruments and then manipulate them with granular synthesis or whatever I see fit at the moment. Also, my most important piece of gear without a doubt are my Dynaudio BM5's. I don't know how I ever lived without them.

Favorite SoftwareI have been enjoying Massive as of late but there's no way I could live without Convolution Reverb. There are some amazing RT60 samples that can bring out the most amazing harmonics in my cello or turn a glockenspiel into the most psychedelic bell sound. yum... I also have been enjoying the Super Destroy FX plug ins, specifically Geometer for giving me that extra little crunch for my kits or bass. For those who don't know, you can get them free here. http://destroyfx.smartelectronix.com/ (please donate if you like them).

Workspace and EnvironmentIn every way imaginable! No really, I think I spend a lot of time honing my workspace. I am always adding something new, switching out my gear, or just rearranging my workspace. I really try to create a lovely ambiance that makes me feel like I am in a womb. My studio is in my basement so I get that feeling of being in a cave which I prefer that when I work. I really like the subterranean feel because even if I am working in the middle of the day I feel like I am instantly taken to that subconscious level where I feel like the real magic happens. I don't always like that cave feeling though, if I am doing super critical editing I tend to turn all the lights on and open the windows but when I am in the more free form creative space I tend to turn the lights dim and dive in deep. I really feel like lighting can be a very influencial thing when working. I have special "happy" lights that produce serotonin for certain moods and then some lighting that produces melatonin for other moods.I also think the most important thing is to have everything accessible. All of my gear is extremely organized, from cables to mics to connectors and adapters to hardware. When everything is easily available, I find that I am more willing to try something new and play with new toys then if they were just in a pile I had to sort through.

Extra CurricularCurrently, I just finished editing audio for a film by Dan Yost who wrote the script for Drug Store Cowboy and have done some work on a few Indie films. I try to get involved in film as much as possible and would love to go more in that direction in the future. As far as video games, I have written songs for Dance Dance Revolution and am about to compose for the next two versions of that game and have also done work on the game Lifeline and Karaoke Revolution as an engineer.I also worked for Digidesign as a Testing Engineer and did a lot of Sound Design work for commercials etc. when I was a Sr. Sound Engineer for a studio called Wavegroup.

First Piece of GearFostex 4 track

WishlistThe list is never ending! I'll just say my basic big wishes first as we would be here all day. I would love some Valve Distortion specifically Thermionic Cultures' Culture Vulture. Manley Variable Mu, Machine Drum, Neumann mics, Blue's Woodpecker Ribbon mic, Moog Voyager, Jupiter 8, Juno 106 and as many Electro Harmonix toys that I can get my hands on

Mobile SetupMac Book Pro Intel Core Duo 2, Midi Controller, Mbox

Live SetupI used to have a lot of gear when I played live but now I really feel like less is more.Mac Book Pro Intel Core Duo 2, Midi Controller, Mbox (soon to be replaced), LoopStation, Mackie Mixer, Violin.

Studio EvolutionI have had my studio in 4 locations now. I tend to not move around a lot, once I find a place I stay there for years.Two have been in my bedroom, my current studio in my basement and then I had an amazing studio in SF. The studio in SF was incredible, it was an old recording school that went bankrupt so me and two other guys took it over. There were three studios, A, B and C. I had studio C which was a wonderful room. There were floated floors, grounded power, full isobooth and amazing acoustics. I have to say I miss that studio from time to time but it was in a really bad neighborhood so I don't miss the crack heads smoking out front. lol. All in all I think my studios have changed a lot over the years. My first two studios were just on my desk crammed in my bedroom and now my studio is filled with a lot more gear, acoustically treated and has much better fung shui than my former studios. One of the nicest things about my current studio is that it's in my home but fully removed from my bedroom. It's nice to be able to take a break and cook a healthy meal in my kitchen or go for a hike in the beautiful park I live next to. I noticed that when I had my studio in SF, I didn't have a kitchen, shower or fresh air and would work for days on end living a very unhealthy lifestyle. That was part of my reason for moving to the Pacific Northwest. I really wanted to create a more healthy lifestyle. Living next to a park has been great too because when I am working and need a break, I pop my tracks on my ipod and hike up the hill while I take a more noncritical listen to the pieces I am working on.I find it very crucial to take regular breaks when working. It's very easy to get lost in a track and no longer hear the music. Since moving my studio to Portland, I have gotten into a routine of taking regular breaks, eating healthy and having an overall healthy lifestyle around making music. I think that artists tend to get into a very obsessive way of making music and tend to forget about their health. I had a few friends have some major health issues this year so it has made me rethink the way I choose to work.t)

1/20/2008

Justin and I are both in California, finished our NAMM expedition and will meet back in Chicago in a couple of weeks. We have finished gathering all the content from NAMM and will post it up when we have time to piece it all together. Don't worry, you can find the newest miracle products from any other music source. We'll have pictures and videos of some of the great content NAMM had. We were introduced to many great products(both new and old) and met so many amazing people. To get away from NAMM a bit, here is a short and sweet interview from the man behind radicalfashion on Hefty Records.

BackgroundI started learning to play piano when at primary school. At first I didn't like practice and soon quit it. About a year later, though, I began playing piano again. That's the starting point. Besides, I have taken part in several bands, and I suppose that experience has helped me develop the sense of functioning as a part of the whole picture.

Favorite HardwareIt is a digital instrument called TENORI-ON. I'm interested in this kind of interface that allows quite intuitive manipulation, as it might enable you to capture the passing moments that you sometimes, quite unconsciously, bring about.

Favorite SoftwareBasically, I don't use plugin...

Workspace and EnvironmentThe moderate size of my working room is quite comfortable for me, leaving no wasteful space. I'm considering making a window these days. As you can see in the picture, the pianos are well arranged, aren't they? This moderateness is convenient for choosing among the instruments. When I want clearer sound images I use the front one, for example.

Extra CurricularI composed some soundtracks for film by friends made.

Japan's radicalfashion releases out of the Chicago based Hefty Records. Be sure to check out their album 'odori'.Myspace

Droid Behavior is joining forces with the Darkmatter Soundsystem and it will be massive. Richard Devine, The Flashbulb, Captain Ahab, Eustachian, D2 and Surachai (my grind/metal project) will destroy you. Come prepared for an aural assault. This party is so massive that the flyers gobble up all the space on your screen, check them out for the complete lineup! If this night doesn't melt your face off, then I will do it personally afterwards in an alley. Keep current: Here or Here Additional Information...

- Bring your own DIY music or motion creations and other hardware toys and geek out with an international crowd of hipster-nerdsters! All projects welcome (space first come, first served -- think small, bring portable speakers if you can)

- Put together free kits to make your own ribbon controllers without soldering

- Learn how Bryant Davis Place (future-tense-cpu) built his own DIY VJ sequencer for M8 using the Lemur multi-touch controller.

- Learn about the wonders of wireless MIDI sync in AV Performance with Acid&Bass&Momo producing a live remix of Karate Kid.

1/11/2008

We will have another announcement on a gig in the works but until then, here are three things I'll be involved in.

Tuesday January 15th Ascend Training - 410 South Michigan, Suite 433, Chicago9am. MGFest.comThere is a massive Motion Graphics Festival in Chicago and I will be facilitating the class 'Introduction to Ableton Live'. Though Live isn't my top choice for post production, I've used it for projects and its surprisingly applicable for certain productions. Though I won't be around for the rest of the festival I advice you to check it out if you can. You can find information on my deal: here

March 20th - May 14thEuropean TourEustachian and Teknoist will be on a European tour this spring and I will be latching onto a their shows. We are looking for shows within this time period in all of Europe. I will be using Paris as a home base, so I will be relatively close to everything and filled with cheese. Please help us if you can! Check out their press kit: http://www.fathme.com/

1/10/2008

We'll have full details about some gigs we're involved with in the next week. Chaos is coming! Speaking of chaos here is 000!

BackgroundIve been making music since I can remember, some of my first memories are recording sloshing my leggos around in their box and messing with the tape, and playing my sisters tiny vltone Casio, I loved casiochord mode. I played violin in elementary school, and was in choir for a bit (awesome, surrounded by girls, there was like 1 other guy in there). I also started animating very early as well, making flipbooks of sonic the hedgehog for my dads birthday. I think he still has it. My friend across the street, who was in high school when I was about 7, helped me learn basic programming and electronics, and I would program simple generative audio visuals and video-games. I also made a very simple keyboard. When I got a computer with a real soundcard I would spend days messing with my voice in soundedit16 or goldwave.

Favorite HardwareMy favorite would have to be my infusion systems ICUBEX sensor kit. I was given it by the Museum Of Contemporary Art in trade for doing a performance for their Merce Cunningham dance series. We hooked this awesome dancer, Ana Mendez up to it and had her movements control the audio and visual. Its really great because it gives me direct intimate control over sound and visual design, in a way you could never draw automation or design sounds with a keyboard or sliders. It allows me to create organic, synchronized audio and visuals at the same time, live. I have some videos of it up on my site (Internal Reflection, E-Merce at MOCA, and [http://www.axiom-crux.net/video/Sensor_test.html]). I own a cello, sax, flute, and a bunch of other instruments that I love, I find organic played instruments can be more soulful then sequenced.

Favorite SoftwareI love logic 8, I feel like with a good mac and logic 8, and the Native Instruments Komplete bundle, you could make anything. Max/msp/jitter is something that I felt a serious connection with since I was first introduced to it. I feel unlimited when I use that software. I'm liking the free Michael Norris spectral plugins, and the grm tools are always classic. Metasynth, I love the swishy spectral quality, and you can get so detailed with a single sound. I was also circuit bending and building some custom electronics stuff a few months back. It's insane what you can do with raw electricity. So much different then the sound of digital, feeding back parts of the signal into places they aren't meant to go, it can get insane very fast. I'm also designing my own software that I plan to make into a commercial product. Its very different from anything I've seen on the market. It will be for sale through my website.

Workspace and EnvironmentI feel that this is one of the most important things about working. When I lived in Detroit in a cold basement, it provided a totally different type of inspiration then living down here on Miami Beach. I used to go to Cranbrook art community campus, amazing forests and lakes, installations and walk around for my inspiration. It is so immensely beautiful there. I would love to have more nature around me, right now Im living in basically a tourist mall of sorts, on Lincoln road, and I can look out my window and see these art deco pastel buildings, one of them looks like its from greece, but when you go closer to it, the facade is all painted on, haha its so great. I would love to go down to the beach and write a track, but sadly the logistics of that are problematic, all the sand, water, and bums don't make for safe computer use. Though we did have an amazing DMT drum circle. I think I would ideally love to have a studio in Tokyo, in a crazy downtown area, or the total opposite, like a minimal contemporary style building in a forest... maybe a futuristic solar powered tree-house?

Extra CurricularsI did some stuff for a japanese game earlier this year. I can't speak japanese that well so I don't even know what its called. I do sound for TV commercials right now, all pre-production stuff though, My day job is making animatics for the worlds largest ad agencies. I did music for one feature length indy film, and one animated short film named "Tristella's Tears" back when I was in college, I ended up winning best original score in the chicago film fest for "The Passage"

First Piece of GearMy violin, as a little kid. as far as electronic gear... I got a jp8000 in highschool. I love the feedback oscillator on those.

WishlistBuchla 200e, Just a minimal setup, 2 oscs, filter, phasor, and their midi translator would be plenty, then I could control with my sensors and max/msp sequencer. Kyma, Nord modular g2. UE10 in ear monitors. A Synthi aks.. I also wouldn't mind getting an SH-101 or a real Korg MS20.. something full discrete analogue. And a reel-to-reel for warming my masters.

Mobile and Live SetupMacBook Pro and Novation remote sl 37, mbox, a few nice mics

Where were you born and how did you end up in the location you currently reside?Saginaw>Lake Orion>Royal Oak>Bloomfield/Detroit>MiamiWhen I was born, my dad was working at GM, he worked his way up at the company, and then we moved to a bit bigger place in Lake Orion. He started his own company doing robotics training manuals, and made a load of money on it, so we moved to a really awesome house in Bloomfield, where I spent my formative years. I went to school at CCS in detroit for animation, and played tons of raves out there, and after I graduated from college I decided to move someplace that isn't depressing and cold. I rented a Uhaul and drove down to Miami, it just so happened that during the middle of my trip hurricane wilma hit and I had to stay with Richie for a few days, we went on this really strange mini-tour around Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. We stayed with these really cool cats who had hens for pets, and played at this biker bar that was straight out of a David Lynch movie. It ended up that my mom that I hadn't seen in a year or so lived half an hour away, and she drove out to see me play, we all sang her happy birthday... strange adventure. I finished my trip to miami through the post havoc of the hurricane. What a twisted introduction to miami. I couldn't even get gas because all the stations were out of power, I made it to my new condo with the red light of the gas tank blinking. I may end up moving to California soon. There's tons of motion-graphics and sound work out there.

Studio EvolutionThe basement in Michigan that previously housed my studio is now under a foot of water, the guy who bought our house didn't pay the mortgage and went into foreclosure. I went back there during my close friends wedding, it was a foggy night, right out of twilight zone, we found a way in and walked through the house, there was still pumpkin pie and gallon of milk still on the table from 2005 when I moved out. I tried to go to my old studio in the basement, and it was in a foot and a half of nasty sewer water. My gorgeous mural that adorned the vast walls, created over many years by my close friends and I was trapped, it was rather strange feeling. You really can never go home again.

OOO (axiom crux) can be found on Planet Mu, Sublight, Detroit Underground, Melted Mailbox, Rolax, Circuitree, and a bunch of other compilation appearances. Videos and music can be found at his website: www.axiom-crux.net

1/09/2008

Impulse responses allow you to 'sample' your room and use it as a reverb in whichever program supports it. I personally love impulse responses for their 'set' characteristics, though they're not as versatile as some reverb plug-ins I find these limitations inspiring. Let's assume you are not stupid, you have Leopard and Logic 8. I am going to explain how to do this as quickly as possible using only a macbook with its built in microphone and horrid speakers. Of course you can substitute the hardware with something proper or you can even substitute this tutorial with a proper one from a 'professional' website, you know, a website that doesn't use the word 'pood' when describing low quality audio files. Anyways, I'm getting started:You can find the program here: /Applications/Utilities/Impulse Response Utility.app. This is the general space of the program. If your screen does not look like this, you have opened Guitar Hero.

1. After choosing to work in Mono, I only have to press 'R' and the 'S' will automatically light up. 'R' puts the program in record mode and makes the 'Sweep' option available.

2. Before I press 'Sweep', I make sure my 'Monitor Mute' box is checked. I usually enjoy feedback but not through the already piercing 'speakers' on the macbook. I'll be sure to experiment and pull this off with the feedback on one day. So I Sweeped it!

After I have sweeped the frequencies my recorded waveform looked like this. Basically horrible low and high frequency responses because my microphone and speakers eat it.

3. At the bottom left, I will want to press 'Deconvolve' then 'Create Space Designer Setting...', I name my file accordingly and jump into Logic 8. I could 'audition' my reverb but I rather skip this entirely and go straight to logic because I get confused and discouraged at what I am hearing.

4. In Logic 8, I open space designer and see my impulse response staring right at me in its own little custom section. My impulse response looks like this. The volume is not decaying rather it is gating and sounds like pood.This is easily customizable by grabbing the points and adjusting it to your liking. I prefer my turd room to trail like this.

To recap. 1: Press 'R'.2. Press 'Sweep'3. Press 'Deconvolve' and 'Create Space Designer Setting' (not sure why this is one step)4. Get in Logic and fix your jacked volume settings in space designerNow go get your platinum record. You know, the one you are reminded to achieve every time you open logic 8......

1/07/2008

Justin and I are off to NAMM next week and hopefully we squeeze in a few more articles between now and then. We will have word on some gigs we are performing at next week and I will be asking for help for an upcoming European tour. Until then, I present the prolific Richard Lainhart!

BackgroundI started playing electric bass when I was 15, so in a few weeks it will have been 40 years. I was born in Vestal, NY, outside Binghamton (the Forbidden City), and ended up where I am by first going to school in Albany, moving to New York City to find work, and moving to Rockland County to escape the noise and density of NYC.

Favorite HardwareRight now, it's the Buchla 200e, although I'd really have to include the Haken Continuum as a part of the whole system. The 200e is an extraordinary instrument in its own right, but I think it's the addition of the Continuum that really takes it to an entirely new level of expression and control. So I'd have to say both are my current favorites, in equal parts.

I started my life as composer by recording and manipulating sound on tape, and soon afterwards, in college, was able to work in a series of well-equipped Moog synthesizer studios. My first real compositions were created with modular synths and multitracking, and I got quite adept, if I may say so, at modular synthesizer programming. In the MIDI era, though, I completely gave that up and devoted myself to computers. What you could do with MIDI and computers, especially in live performance, went so far beyond what was possible with modulars that there seemed to be no reason to ever go back.

However, when I started working with Jordan Rudess on our live improvised electronic music project, he on MiniMoogs and I on laptops and softsynths, I really came to miss the immediacy and direct expression that he enjoyed working with true analog hardware. In our project, Jordan typically plays his MiniMoogs with one hand on the keyboard and the other on the knobs, and continually generates new sounds as he's playing - he doesn't work with presets, but just starts in an open state and goes where the knobs take him. With a softsynth, you have to start from a preset, and have to control the parameters with a multitude of pre-programmed MIDI controllers if you want to approach the same flexibility and ease of expression. And still, there are layers of interface between you and the sound.

At the same time, though, I love harmony and polyphony, so a monosynth isn't for me. And the fixed signal path of something like the MiniMoog does, I feel, limit full expression when compared to a completely patchable system. On the other hand, a standard patchable system isn't very practical for live performance if you want to work with many different sounds. The 200e is, as far as I know, the only currently produced analog modular synth that allows for polyphony and patch memory, so you can start with a basic patch in performance, and through presets, create many different basic variations on the basic configuration. From there, you can work with higher-level functions like controlling several voices and parameters at once with the multi-dimensional expression of the Continuum, but also lower-level functions like twisting knobs and throwing patchcords around. It's nearly the ideal system for me, and I've come to love it.

Favorite SoftwareAdobe After Effects, actually. I work with a lot of music software, including some wonderfully creative apps like Max and Kyma X, but my favorite program is AE. I've used it since it first came out, and all my visual work starts and ends there or at least goes through it at some point. It's the most flexible and creative motion graphics app I know.

Workspace and EnvironmentThis studio is the first I've had where I've been able to set up all my mallet instruments, so just from that viewpoint it's been a blessing. But it's also inspiring on other levels, too. My property backs onto a land preserve, which in theory at least can never be developed, and I can't see any of my few neighbors from the large window that faces the preserve - just trees and sky. I often spend long periods at my desk, just looking out the window and watching the clouds roll by, and I never tire of the beauty of it all. It's quiet here too, and so I can live in my own sonic world without hindrance. The structures on which I base my music come from nature, and I happen to believe that the best music comes from a calm center, not a position of strife or chaos, so living here has, I feel, been only beneficial to my work.

Extra CurricularMy day job is Technical Director at Total Training Productions, which produces video-based training for Adobe, Microsoft, and Apple digital media software, among others. I used to write all the theme and interstitial music for those productions, and still do occasionally. Other than that, no. I've created music in the past for film, commercials, CD-ROM games and magazines, Web sites, and so on, but I've pretty much gotten away from that kind of work - I find it increasingly difficult to let others make the final decisions about how the music I create should sound.

First Piece of EquipmentA really terrible Hagstrom electric bass - the strings were almost an inch off the fretboard, although I didn't know any better, so I thought it was pretty cool. Fortunately, soon after that I upgraded to a German-made Hofner Beatle bass, which was actually a very nice instrument. Around the same time, my father gave me his old Ampex semi-pro stereo reel-to-reel recorder, which had three heads. The three heads meant that I could do tape echo and sound-on-sound, and I soon started experimenting with running my bass through it and setting up screaming runaway echoes, along with some very primitive multi-tracking. The combination of the electric instrument and the tape deck was what really started me on the path to becoming a composer of electronic music.

Your WishlistVery little, really. I'd like a set of 4 matched powered speakers for performance, so I can play in quad (which is what the Buchla is really designed for), but so far, running in stereo and using house systems has worked out well. Beyond that, I have enough to work with for quite a while. A vanderPlas four-octave vibraphone or Marimba One five-octave marimba would be nice, though....

Mobile SetupI do not have a formal one, but I've done some live recording of friends' concerts with the MacBook Pro, the MOTU Traveler and the Shure KSMs, and that's worked out well. The addition of an Evolution keyboard and headphones would give me a reasonably complete, compact system, I think. I have several different setups for live performances, depending on the situation. The most basic is a MacBook, MOTU Traveler, and an Evolution keyboard, controlling Moog Modular V. The next level up is the MacBook, the Kyma hardware, Line 6 Pod Pro, Traveler, and guitar or lap steel - I have a number of pieces that use that configuration. Finally, there's the full Buchla/Continuum/MacBook quad system, which includes a Mackie mixer, Niche fader controller, Lexicon MX-400, Roland RE-20, and MOTU 828 in the rack. You can see it in the "Studio Right" image. I've been performing a lot with it lately, but moving it around is a two-man job, unfortunately.

How Many Locations Have You Had Your Studio?4 different locations. The first was in an apartment in Albany, NY, and consisted of a Korg DW-8000 and SDD digital delay. I used that for my first album, with a couple of pieces of borrowed gear. The next was in my house in Albany, and was much expanded with a Mac Plus (running Digidesign Sound Designer, Intelligent Music M, and Opcode Sequencer), 3 Emax samplers, Alesis digital reverbs, JBL speakers, and several delays and reverbs. That was my first performance system, and I used it for my second, unreleased, album. I sold most of it when I moved to New York City to upgrade to a Mac Quadra 900, SampleCell cards, a Yamaha DMP-7 digital mixer, and a Panasonic DAT deck, and used that system for most of the commercial work I did at the time. Then, when I left the city and moved north to Rockland County, I sold it all again to upgrade to a PowerMac and a largely software-based studio. So, basically, every time I moved, I upgraded.

1/01/2008

BackgroundI was born in Washington, D.C. and after a few years of traveling I recently ended up in Chicago. Everything got started when someone shoved a computer (that featured a turbo button that made it go 8 mHz faster!) at me when I was really young. Later someone left another computer with reBirth and Soundforge. That was about 10 years ago and here we are now....

Favorite HardwareIt'd have to be my portable Doepfer cases. Well not the case itself, but what's inside. I'm a huge fan of Doepfer, Cwejman, Plan B and Livewire modules. These things have been around the world with me and kept me constantly inspired. They have really changed the way I approach the processes of making music and sound design. I do love my Sherman Filterbank II and Juno 106 though. I really love all my gear. Its better than children. Yeah, I said it...

Favorite SoftwareIf I had to pick just one, It'd be Logic 8. Everything is in there and most anything I'd want to use can be added to it. My only glitch with it is the audio capabilities, this is where Pro Tools and Live totally dominates. Editing audio in Logic is very time consuming and not as fluid as other programs. There are strengths to all programs, Logic with its production capabilities and Pro Tools with its audio editing but I don't confine myself to one program.

How Does Your Workspace Influence Creativity?Entirely! I've been traveling for the past 4 years and found that if I am comfortable, I won't write much music. I may have commitment issues! Although I find myself making music in all environments, be it outdoors, peoples kitchens or bedrooms, my laptop is always around to help me flesh out ideas where I can take it back to home base and retrack it with my bulkier gear. From reading the past interviews, I think everyone agrees while having gear has its benefits, having too much distracts you from actually programming and getting your tracks together. I like to think of myself as easily adaptable to peoples studios and workspaces, so I find myself working them. Everything affects the way I live, therefore it affects my creative source.

Involved in Extra Curriculars?I am a freelance sound designer during the day. Also I occasionally do sound design and composition for films around the Chicago area with Justin McGrath. We also run a little label that helps put our projects out into the world while keeping a uniform name. the deep element is my main project which is generally feminine, very melodic with intense and violent percussion. [co]sen_tasi is a project with JP Robles, a jazz influenced musician, its generally produced while we're apart sending in files back and forth. Heartstring Canvas is a project I have with two ladies from Florida who are Les Enfants. It's very pop and beautiful with a technical edge. Surachai is a grind/metal project I started out of frustration of not having a band or skill. I play the guitar, scream and program the drums, but in reality I cant play guitar or bass or scream very well. But I'm an audio engineer so I can make things work. Surachai is on Fathme records which is based out of L.A./San Francisco/ Antwerp, Belgium. render:error is a project I have with Justin McGrath, which is harder dance music. All the releases are found on shade:red recordings which in turn are on itunes and Amazon.

First GearOther than the afore mentioned computers, a Zoom RhythmTrak 234. It was a miserable piece of gear. I sampled it some years later and sold it. I don't even use the samples!

WishlistI'd love to tell apple or whoever to quickly make touch screens. Something tells me they're on the way and I'm tired of clicking. A complete Buchla system even though it intimidates the hell out of me, or more realistically a Cynthia Zeroscillator.

Mobile SetupGenerally when I travel I bring my laptop, whatever interface I have at the moment, and a portable case full of modules. I'd like to spend a second here to tell people that flying internationally with the Doepfer A100p case is actually quite easy. Although it does look like a bomb from all angles, including in the x-ray, I assure you that it's quite hassle free. People even prefer to sit away from the box, so you'll have more room for yourself. Highly recommended.

Live PerformanceIt depends for which project I'm performing for. Generally it includes my Macbook, Modular and mixer.

How Many Physical Locations Have You Had Your Studio?I've lived in about 5 countries in the past 3 years and I've been quite good at weeding out gear I don't use. At first I brought everything with me assuming that everything will have a role. Then I started to notice that some things collected dust, so I eventually sold them or left them in D.C. As it stands now, I have two cases of modules with some delays and a filterbank. I hope it doesn't get much bigger than this.